Chapter 1

On the night before my final thesis defense, Ethan Carter smashed my 3D architectural design model into pieces.

All because Lily Gray, the newly admitted scholarship girl, said she wanted to see what the structure looked like inside.

"It was just a slip of the hand. Do you really have to look at me with that dead, emotionless face?"

Ethan carelessly brushed the dust off his hands.

"Sera, you’re the campus goddess. You can easily build another one with a snap of your fingers. Lily has never seen anything of this scale. Just consider this as opening her eyes to the real world."

I stared at the shattered pieces of the architectural model on the floor. It had taken me three grueling months of sweat and sleepless nights to build. Now, it was nothing but trash.

I didn’t scream or throw a tantrum like I used to.

Instead, I calmly pulled out my phone and tapped the cancel button on my thesis defense application.

Suddenly, a bright, glowing wall of chat comments flashed before my eyes:

[Nooo! Seraphina, don't do anything reckless! Ethan is just trying to show off in front of his little mentee. You’re the one he truly loves!]

[Exactly! Sure, the model was expensive, but didn't Ethan buy you a Hermes Birkin to make up for it?

He knows he messed up. If you break off a ten-year relationship over some stupid plastic model, you’re throwing away your entire youth!]

[Look at his hands! He's shaking because he regrets it already. He’s just too proud to admit it. Give him a way out, and he’ll spoil you rotten again!]

[Why is the female lead being so dramatic? Lily is so poor and pitiful. What's wrong with her taking a look? You're a billionaire heiress, why do you even care about this?]

I let out a soft, mocking laugh.

Once upon a time, for the sake of Ethan, I had rejected my acceptance letter from the world's top architecture school in London, choosing to stay at this mediocre state college instead.

I did it for what I thought was love.

But now, I was done.

It wasn't just my thesis model that was shattered.

Ethan, I am officially opting out of your life.